The present invention relates to electriciostatic toys, in which a playing effect is obtained by controlled levitation of light electrifying objects in an electrostatic field.
Toys are known in which the effective levitation is produced with the use of an electrostatic field, as disclosed for example in U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,018,585; 3,497,994; 4,109,413. These toys include one or several wands and levitating objects which are composed of a polymeric film or an aluminum foil. An electric charge of the wand is obtained by a manual rubbing of the surface of the wand. A contact of the charged wand with a light levitating object leads to a transfer of a part of the electric charge from the wand onto the object, and thereafter an electrostatic repelling of the identically charged wand and the light object takes place, that imitates the effect of levitation.
The disadvantage of the known toys is connected with a manual rubbing of the wand. During the process of playing, the electric charge gradually leaks out both from the wand and from the levitating object, and therefore is necessary to provide periodical charging by means of an additional rubbing of the wand. This recharging leads to an interruption of the process of controlling the levitating object. During rubbing of the wand, a playing person can loose control of the levitating object, which can be dropped or can become attached to an electrically neutral object located in the vicinity. In addition, during the recharging by means of rubbing, the efficiency and speed of charging of the wand depends on how fast the displacement of the rubbing surfaces takes place and how tight they are in contact with one another. A playing person needs special skills for performing fast recharging without loss of control of the levitating object. Obtaining of these skills can be difficult for a playing child.
Another disadvantage of the known electrostatic toys is a relatively low flight height of the levitating object above the wand. The height of the flight of the levitating object depends on the force of electrostatic repellance and weight of the object, and the force of electrostatic repelling compensate the weight of the object. In order to increase the height of the flight it is necessary to increase the charge of the levitating object and to reduce its weight to a minimum. Levitating objects composed of electrically conductive materials are charged the best way when they are brought in contact with the electrically charged wand. Therefore, in U.S. Pat. No. 2,018,585 the figures composed of aluminum foil are used as the levitating object. However, such levitating objects are too heavy and they can not fly very high because of a high specific density of the foil.
The electrostatic toy disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,109,413 contains a light levitating object which is composed of a flat or a three dimensional figure from a polymeric film, while the electric wand is charged by a manual rubbing.
The objects which are composed of a polymeric film are lighter than the object composed of a foil and can fly higher. However, their charging is more difficult by contact with the surface of the electrically charged wand, and this also makes more difficult the increase of a flight height.